Pile structure and method of forming same



" April 13 1926.

J. WRIGHT FILE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed Dec. 26, 19,23

.zen of the United is undesirable, due to the liability of breakf ,the upper end of the wooden form with a Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

UNITED v STATES aosarn waren'r. or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. 7

FILE STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME.

Application filed December 26, 1923. Serial No. 682,613.

T 0 all whom it may concern: Be it known that I. Josnrn \VRIGHT, citi- States, residing at the citv and county of San Francisco, and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pile ods of Forming Same, ing is a specification.

This invention relates to a pile structure and a method of formingthe same. More particularly the invention has to do with Structures and Methof which the followpiles of the type intended for use in water and having a concrete upper portion extending below the mud-line and a wooden lower portion.

The object of the invention is to reduce the cost of constructing a composite pile of this general nature; to

tion more durable.

The advantage of a composite pile having a wooden lower portion and a concrete'upper portion has long since been recognized, particularly for marine uses. Wooden piles when used in salt water'quickly deteriorate,

being subject to attack by marine borers. Solid concrete piles are-expensive, and being heavily reinforced with iron they are difficult to handle, and on account of their great weight their load-carrying capacity I is considerably reduced. They are also. sub-:.

ject to breakage while being "driven, and

cracks or chips may action of the salt water. Such composite piles as have proposed heretofore have/been unsatisfactory forvarious reasons. A composite pile having a precast concrete portion form is driven into place, cannot be sufiip ciently compacted to produce a structure of the required density for marine uses.

In the present invention I connect a. wooden form directly to the wooden pile by suitable fastening means, and drive the wooden pile by impact 01 the top of the action of the salt water. to a depth which will bring the wooden facilitate driving ofthe same, and to render the concrete sec- Fig 3 develop which will expose the reinforcement to the destructive staves which are connected tothe end of the .The driving is continued to assist in driving the pile. Also, the concrete, due to theblows of the hammer, is

imperviousto the compacted and rendered The pile is driven section below the mud-line. After the concrete is sufficiently set, thatpart of the wooden form above the mud-line may be removed if desired. l

One formwhich my invention may assume 1S exemplified in the following description latter with plastic and illustrated in the accompanyingdraw ings. in which- Fig.

1 shows, a vertical central sectional view'of a composite pile embodying my in-- vention in the initial stages of driving;

Fig. 2 shows a similar view of the'same pile after it has been driven into place and the wooden form above the mud-line re moved;v Y a shows a cross-section of the pile, the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

take-n on Referring in detail to the accompanying drawing, :1

show a composite pile having a lower wooden portion 10, connected with the upper end of which is a suitable form 11, preferably of wooden staves, fastened to the wooden pile. The ordinary wooden pile is cylindrical,-- and I prefer to shape the upper end thereof octagonal as shown in Fig. 3, and then construct the form of eight wooden wooden pile at suitable intervals by crossbolts, 12. However, the cross-sectional shape of the pile and the form is immaterial.

The'wooden pile is driven by impact on -'-crete 14. The weight of this concrete will assist in driving the pile, and the -blows of to their light weight {the hammer on the form will serve to compact the, concrete so as to increase its density and render it impervious to the salt water. I until the wooden ile passes below the mud-line 15, as indicated in Fig. form may be cut away above the mud-line for re-use, leaving that portion below the mud-line intact to serve as a splice.

Among the advantages of a composite pile of the character described may be mentioned 2. Thereafter the wooden i that of weight. In soft mud the dead load of a solid concrete pile ninety feet long is over fifteen tons, whereas acomposite pile of the type herein described and of the same length, is but four tons. This would give the composite pile an extra carrying capacity of eleven tons over a solid concrete pile.

A further advantage is that of cost. A solid concrete pile, with its elaborate reinforcement, costs about $3.50 per linear foot driven, as against a cost of about $1.50 per linear foot driven, of the pile of the present invention.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts herein shown and described may be employed, without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

\V hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of forming a composite pile for marine work, having a lower wooden portion and an upper concrete portion, which consists in connecting a suitable form to the upper end of the wooden pile, filling I said form with plastic concrete, and thereafter driving the pile by impact upon the upper end of the form, whereby the concrete, due to the blows of the driver, is compacted and rendered impervious to the action of salt water, and the wooden portion of the pile is forced below the Water level.

2. A method of forming a composite pile for marine work, having a lower wooden portion and an upper portion of concrete, which consists in permanently connectin a wooden form to the upper end of the woo en pile so as to leave a hollow space above the wooden pile of substantially the same crosssectional area as the wooden pile, filling said form with plastic concrete, and thereafter driving the pile by impact upon the upper end of the form, whereby the concrete, due to the blows of the driver, is compacted and rendered impervious to the action of salt water, and the wooden portion of the pile may be sunk below the water level, and thereafter cutting away that portion of the form projecting above the water level.

composite pile for marine work formed of a wooden lower portion and an upper portion of concrete of substantially the same cross-sectional area, and means for joining the two parts together and providing a form whereby the wooden lower portion may be driven below the water line and the concrete section poured during driving, said means comprising wooden staves securely bolted to the wooden pile and extending above the same, and reinforcing means carried by the stavesfor imbedding in the concrete, said staves being adapted to be cut away from the concrete portion for some distance below the Water level after the concrete has become set. JOSEPH WRIGHT. 

